About Me

This journal -- the antecedent to the blog -- gets its start from a
decision to dig up all the grass in our yard and plant flowers,
perennials, ground cover, shrubs, a small tree or two, berry bushes,
vegetables. My first title for it, I remember now, was "The Amateur." I
am fond of the word's Latin roots -- it means "lover." I'm not trained,
I'm not a professional, I just began digging things up and planting. To
be an amateur means to do something not for money, but for love. Five
summers later, I am still an amateur, but the place has blossomed. I
loved the development stage; now I'm working on management, maintenance
-- skills that require patience. I like doing things, trying things, and
seeing what happens. I experiment, I learn from experience (or try to).
I love to see things growing. I love the idea that when we step
outdoors, we are in nature. The "environment" begins at the doorstep.
Open the door; breathe the air; listen. Today a cardinal sat on the head
of a sunflower, bobbing and calling, looking for all the world as if he
had just lost something. I noticed he ate a few sunflower seeds too.
There is always something to see.Here's the "interests" list:

Monday, April 21, 2014

Old Poets Never Die

I'll be reading my poetry, for about 10 minutes, in a poetry program at Plymouth Library Tuesday night (4/22, beginning 7 p.m.). The program consists of 7 Plymouth area poets plus me, grandfathered in because I used to live in Plymouth. I published poetry a long time ago in my pre-newspaper Boston-Cambridge youth and gave readings with my "group." But I won't be reading any of the old stuff. I'll read a few recently written pieces.
Here's the program description from Plymouth Public Library and the list of readers:

"Local Plymouth Poet Read-A-thon at the Plymouth Public Library
On Tuesday, April 22nd at 7 PM you are invited to meet and greet local Plymouth area poets reading from their repertoire of works. The Plymouth Public Library wants to celebrate our local poets and give the public an opportunity to mingle with the talent in our community. This program will be held in the Otto Fehlow Meeting Room, Plymouth Public Library, 132 South Street, Plymouth, MA.
Poets scheduled to read at this event include Barbara Siegel Carlson from Fire Road, published by Dream House Press, as well as Look Back, Look Ahead, by Srecko Kosovel, a translation from Slovene; Chuck Harper from Fragments, published March 2014; Robert Knox who is a correspondent for the Boston Globe and an avid poet; Rona Laban will read selections of her poetry from Making Waves and Voices from Everywhere, two poetry anthologies; Ellen Jane Powers from Celestial Navigation, published by Cherry Grove Collections and chapbook, Toward the Beloved from Finishing Line Press; Dolores Stewart Riccio will read from Doors to the Universe and The Nature of Things, two collections published by Bellowing Ark Press; and Lisa Donna Sampson, will read Chemistry Lessons at the Beginning of Life from Tupelo Press 30/30 chapbook, 2014.
There will be a book signing at the conclusion of the program for those poets with published works as well as time to speak with the poets and get inspired, as the Plymouth Public Library celebrates National Poetry Month!
This program is sponsored by the Plymouth Public Library Corporation and is free with no registration required. The library is fully accessible; please let us know if you need special accommodations to attend. For further information, please contact Jennifer Harris at 508-830-4250//TTY 508-747-5882 or visit our website at www.plymouthpubliclibrary.org for a calendar of our events."